The Shadow of Fear
by Warrior of Galen Eryn
Summary: Eldarion, son of Aragorn, has vanished . All sense a nameless fear on the rise of power. Elf, Man and Dwarf set out for Eldarion, but only time will reveal that his abduction is only the beginning of the dangerous scheme of a sinister mastermind
1. the invitation

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings. All honor and majesty goes to the almighty John Ronald Rueld Tolkien.  
  
Author's note: Please review this story after you've read it. I'm a very lousy writer but I always think o many plots. Anyway, I'm trying very hard to improve so is you find any mistakes in my story, like spelling errors or if there are thinks you thing certain characters shouldn't do, please let me know, as I try to be as true to the book as possible Thanks for reading!  
  
The old dwarf lay dying. Lying deep in the fresh green leaves of the mighty beech tree, supported by nothing but the thick boughs of the plant, Gimli son of Gloin felt nauseous and sick. His vision swarm in front of him, and the numerous leaves had blended into a soggy green mass.  
  
"Legolas, I am dying. My time has come-do not grieve for me, for I will be watching you form the halls if my forefathers...it has been nice knowing you..." Gimli croaked. Legolas rolled his bright Elven eyes. Trust the dwarf to milk it for all it was worth...Gimli looked as healthy as a dwarf who was half his age. It was simply because he was up in a tree, of course.  
  
Dwarves, Legolas thought. Trust them to go up fifteen feet into a tree before realizing they do not have a head for heights, then finding out they have no way to come down. Of course, it was partly the elf's fault. He had dared Gimli to climb the tree. How he was going to get the dwarf down again, he had no idea. Fortunately, at that moment the branch split under the stout dwarf, and Gimli plunged headfirst into a pile of rotting leaves.  
  
"Elves!" he spat. "Never trust an elf!" Legolas' merry laughter echoed through the silent forest. It was five years after the fellowship, and prior to the agreement between the elf and the dwarf, Legolas had visited the glittering caves of Aglarond with Gimli. Never before had Legolas seen such marvelous jewels, but as a Silvan elf of the mo-restored Eryn Lasgalen, his heart lay within the living trees- and the sea. After staying for a period of time in the Ridermark, ruled by Eomer son of Eomund, Gimli had fulfilled his part of the bargain to tour the wondrous forests of the Rhovanion Wilderland.  
  
Gimli picked himself off the ground with disgust, pushing the fallen twigs and leaves off his pants. Elves! He thought with annoyance. He glared at Legolas as he remembered a particularly touchy incident when he had been in the Aglarond caves.  
  
Insisting on removing a jewel buried in a little tunnel-like hole in the wall, as a reminder of his journey to the caves, he had squeezed himself into the hole. Upon having retrieved the stone and thinking of backing out of the wall, he had forgotten to consider his father broad girth and had gotten stuck. After a lot of pulling on the elf's part, the dwarf had popped out of the hole like a cork from a bottle of wine. Naturally, Legolas did not miss a wonderful opportunity to make fun of his friend, and Gimli had spent many sleepless nights being taunted.  
  
"Legolas?" Gimli suddenly asked uncertainly. "What is that shadow in the sky?" Legolas raised his golden head from the dwarf on the ground and gazed up into the clear blue sky. Then, he laughed.  
  
"It's Gwaihir!" he cried, leaping down onto the forest grounds and looked at the Lord of the Wind with joy.  
  
The noble eagle had rescued Gandalf, or Mithrandir, as the elves called him, from certain death twice before, and for the safety and well being of their friend, Legolas and Gimli were eternally grateful. Furthermore, Gwaihir had also saved Frodo and Sam from being burned and drowned from the lava of the dreaded Orodruin, the Mountain of Fire. Legolas' eyes misted over as he thought of Frodo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey Pilgrim, both of whom had sailed over to the Elven Havens only a year ago-over the majestic sea.  
  
The, the elf snapped out of his thoughts of the mighty ocean waves, rolling and churning , flecked with white foam as the golden eagle above him wheeled in the sky and prepared to touch down.  
  
"Greetings, elf and dwarf. It has been a long time since you have seen me, and yet you still remember me, short though our meeting may have been.," said the great eagle as soon as he had landed. Legolas bowed in greeting, as did Gimli. "I bring you news from the King Elessar of Gondor. The Lady Arwen has given birth to a son-Eldarion, they have named him, Son of the Eldar. Here is the message in full detail. Farewell, wherever you fare till your eyries receive you at your journey's end!"  
  
"May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks!" Legolas replied, taking the message As the elf watched the eagle swoop off into the sky, getting smaller and smaller rapidly, he looked at the letter form his friend, Aragorn and ripped open the letter - containing the royal seal of Gondor – and read the letter out loud to his friend Gimli, who was now jumping up and down on the balls of his feet trying to get the letter from Legolas.  
  
"Dear Legolas and Gimli, (the letter read) Long have been the days since we fought side by side with each other against the lost Darkness of Mordor, and I very much hope that the journey which the both of you have taken as comrades are well. You may have heard from my faithful friend, Gwaihir the Lord of the Wind, that the Valar have given a son to the Lady Arwen. It is an utter joy to the both of us to name the child Eldarion, for we are the last remnant of the Eldar come the fourth age and the Dominion of Men. We very much hope that you will come to the courts if the now rebuilt Minas Tirith to celebrate the birth of the heir to the throne of Gondor. Eomer, king of Rohan, as well as the Lord Faramir and his wife the Lady Eowyn, will be present, as will be the hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, who will come as time allows – I hear that they are very busy with their duties as Thain of the Tooks and Brandybucks-" here Legolas trailed off into a grin as Gimli laughed with mirth upon imagining the two unruly hobbits as lords of their little home country. They, who had stolen Aragorn's bag of pipeweed and filled it with dried leaves – making the pipe catch fire and choke his nose with overwhelming amounts of smoke when the ranger had tried to use his pipe. They, who had tied Boromir's legs together when he was asleep, causing the Gondorian warrior to fall flat into a puddle of mud when he stood up. Legolas shook his head and continued reading. "We hope that you will achieve wanted results on your journey, and may you reach your homes unharmed!  
Signed, the King Elessar. "  
  
Gimli nodded his head, his brow furrowed.  
  
"Well?" he demanded.  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"Are we going to Gondor?" the dwarf growled. Legolas thought for awhile before answering,  
  
"Yes, I have decided to go – no doubt it will be a happy reunion between the remaining members of the fellowship – and we have traveled unusually far out into the forests of the Wilderlands – yes, on the whole I think I would like to unite with some old friends for awhile. What about you"  
  
"Confound it all, I have better things to do than to go to rundown old city just to see that human's ugly face," Gimli growled gruffly. But Legolas saw through his act of toughness, and knew fully well that the dwarf missed Aragorn just as much as him. He looked down at the letter fondly, and remembered his human friend.  
  
Then, Legolas felt a chill of terror and fear run down his spine, and the hair on the back of his neck prickled with horror, even as a hidden sixth sense told him that someone-or something- was watching their every move.  
  
So? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Let me know your thoughts and feelings about my story – it only takes a few miutes of your time to make my day. You may flame my story, but please let me know why you hate my story before dismissing it as trash – comments good or bad make me happy as I'm glad that someone bothers to review my story. 


	2. the Kidnap

Author's note : I just wanted to thank all my reviewers! I hope you will continue to read my story and enjoy it!  
  
It was well into the afternoon when Legolas and Gimli passed into the realm of Gondor on Arod. The courtyard was bathed in vermilion rays of the sun, and both Elf and Dwarf were glad to reach their destination. Legolas took a deep breath, musing on how different the air here was from his own country and the marvelous forests of the Wilderland.  
  
"Vedui, Elessar! Ai na Vedui!" Legolas called merrily. Aragorn, who was walking in the courtyard of his palace, involved in a heated discussion with one of his advisors, looked up and saw Legolas and Gimli  
  
"My friends! How are you? Five years it has been since we parted; I am glad you could make it to the ceremony!" Aragorn rushed over, robes ballooning about him, and hugged Gimli so tightly that the dwarf was lifted of the ground.  
  
He had thought a lot about his friends during the times which they had gone their separate ways, and had missed them dearly. Now, seeing elf and dwarf together in his realm, memories of their long and hard journey together flooded his mind again, and he couldn't help but give thanks that they were all here in Middle-Earth, safe and happy. Many times on their journey to Mordor, all hope had seemed lost, and yet by luck and excellent timing, as well as a few mysteries on Gandalf's part, most of the Fellowship had passed through the ordeal alive.  
  
"Youngsters these days! No respect for elders! People my age and you're still hoisting me around like a sack of potatoes," Gimli grumbled, bringing Aragorn back to the present. Legolas and Aragorn laughed as they hugged each other. It had been five years...five long years, and yet some things would never change – among those the attitude of dwarves and the strong love the three had forged since their bonding as the fellowship.  
  
"Where is Eldarion?" Legolas asked, amusing himself with images of a miniature version of Aragorn wailing in his bed.  
  
"Come! I will show you!" With that, Aragorn rushed off to the palace, with Legolas and Gimli close at his heels. Arod, who had borne Legolas and Gimli so far, was taken to the stables where Hasufel was. Another reunion between two old friends.  
  
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli darted through the gray labyrinth passages of Minas Tirith, and many who were in the streets that day marveled to see the heir of the Great Kings grinning like a young child with a new toy, all sense of protocol and decorum lost. Gimli looked around at the city of Minas Tirith in wonder.  
  
Years ago, the city had given a picture of one that was crumbling and forlorn. Now, there was hardly a crack to be seen in the infrastructure. He proudly examined the stonework. The dwarven smiths he had sent from the mountain to aid Aragorn in building the capital of Gondor had done a great job. So had the Elves who had come to the city at Legolas' bidding, Gimli admitted grudgingly. There were beautiful trees and flowers and other plants of all kinds standing at the green gardens of every household. Butterflies flitted freely through the brightly colored flowers, and birds flew in and out of the tree branches. Children darted here and there, throwing balls and various other items at one another, laughing and playing happily. Gone was the silent, forlorn stronghold of dark times and evil ages. The city was now beautiful, combining the lush greenery partial to the Elves, as well as the firm stonework the dwarves were so fond of, together with the human's own sense of style and taste.  
  
"There!" Aragorn said. Legolas and Gimli peeked into a chamber, then their eyes widened as they looked upon Eldarion for the first time. His hair was as dark as his father's, but his eyes were bright and sparkling, similar to the likes of the Eldar. Like Aragorn and Arwen, Eldarion was tall and svelte, giving the impression of one who would move with the grace unknown to normal mankind. And beside the infant, sat-  
  
"Lady Arwen," Legolas said, bowing low to the Queen of Gondor and former princess of Imladris. Gimli followed suit, and Arwen rose gracefully from the bed, returning the greeting to her guests.  
  
"Where's the baby? We can't see! A voice said suddenly. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli turned to see who had spoken.  
  
"Meriadoc Brandybuck! Peregrin Took! I feared that you would not come!" Legolas said happily. He bent down and enveloped the both of them in a bear hug. There was no change in the childlike, unconcerned features of the merry haflings, save that their bellies were rather more protruding, and the sparkling in their bright eyes were less unruly and carefree. Age (as well as little exercise and a lot of food) had taken the toll on the hobbits, yet their character remained the same. As always they were jovial and curious, now about Aragorn's new child.  
  
"Honestly, Legolas, you think we'd miss this chance to see Strider's child? (And to steal some food?) To tell you the truth, I didn't really think that we would survive this war, so I'm quite surprised that we're here, celebrating the birth of Aragorn's child. I wonder how Eowyn and Faramir are doing? I'm not really that busy, - it's dear Pip here who nearly couldn't make it because he is now the Thain of the Tooks - mostly only when I get called to Rohan. Of course, now dear old Eomer is the King. He is also coming; therefore he and I have been very busy, making preparations for his absence. We had to appoint a temporary ruler and all that, since Eowyn – er – Lady Eowyn is no longer a shieldmaiden of Rohan. After all, old King Theoden did make me an esquire of Rohan." Merry said, swelling with pride and the two lungfulls of air needed for such a long speech.  
  
"Hello, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn! Nice seeing you again! Do you not wonder how we managed to some into the citadel without you knowing?" Pippin seemingly popped out of thin air from right under Aragorn's nose.  
  
"Yes. Now that you mention it, I thought I had stationed some guards at the gate...but then, you are wearing the crest of Gondor." Aragorn thought. "Now, this is a very important meeting for most of the countries in Middle-Earth, except for those barbarians in the East. Ambassadors from all over are coming, including some from Harad, and some from the Wild Men. Eomer told me about how Ghan-Buri-Ghan had helped them. Also, we know not what their customs and practices are, and since this is also something of a gathering meant to establish good relationships, I hope that you will guard your tongues, and be polite to all the guests, be it those who are from Arnor or those who hail from Umbar.  
  
"Yes, yes, and we plan to behave that way as well. I shall be with Eomer most of the time, and Pippin shall be next to Strider-"  
  
"It's the King Elessar" Aragorn corrected sternly. Not that anybody took the slightest notice.  
  
Evening was when the celebration of Eldarion's birth was about to start, and arrived with anticipation, the heroes of the war five years ago meeting each other and talking happily of the times they shared. Eomer and his escort turned up, and after making sure that Faramir was treating Eowyn properly and that his sister was well and happy, sat down to discuss issues with Aragorn.  
  
"Woohoo!! This reminds me of old Gandalf's fireworks!" Pippin cheered, as multi-colored sparks lit the velvet night sky and burst into brilliant showers of light. Festive music of many different cultures rang in the air, and it was simply a celebrative atmosphere. Aromas of various types food wafted around, carried by the cool night breeze, and the sounds of many different native languages were garbled together with joyous singing. Gimli sat at the table with the two hobbits, having the usual squabble over food and pipeweed, while Legolas laughed at the lot of them and called them all children. He was eager to see the ceremony of Eldarion, but...the river of Anduin was nearby...he would not be missed for a few minutes...  
  
Making up his mind, Legolas slipped away deftly to the river. Away from the raucous singing and shouting, the rush of the water and the lonely cry of the gulls were clear.

It was folly, he knew, and a distant part of his mind urged him to turn away, to close his eyes, to do anything but what he did do, which was stand motionless and captive to the flash of water rippled silver in the moonlight. The old ache closed vise-like over his heart, and he trembled in its power.

He could not see the Sea from Minas Tirith, and for that he was grateful, for truly he could not have withstood it now. Even so the pulse of it thrummed through him, and the song of the Sea seemed clearer to him now than the ancient tone of the stars overhead; it was more real and more present than anything he had ever experienced. The world in which he stood seemed suddenly flat, empty and meaningless as a child's sketch upon a wall. The Sea's call resonated within him until all his heart and mind was filled and he felt himself drowning in it.

Legolas clenched his hands suddenly and focused on the distant sensation of his nails digging into his palms, forcing his mind to pull back from that infinite longing. The wrench away from the Sea's call took tremendous effort, but slowly he regained control.

He heard again the sigh of the night breeze, the laughter of the humans Elves; he pulled his mind away from the river's gleam and the gulls, focusing upon the dark velvet sky overhead. His heart beat in rhythm with the Sea - that would never change. But his mind was his own again. He released a shaky breath and unclenched his fingers.

"Not yet," he whispered aloud, though too softly for any to hear him. Not yet. Aragorn still lived, would live for many years more. And the Hobbits, and Gimli, held him here as well. He had bound himself to them, and would not forsake that bond..  
  
The night was so deserted...everybody was enjoying themselves at the party. No, wait. One was not. Legolas trained his eyes on the figure a long way in front of him. The figure was running towards the palace of Minas Tirith. He (or she) was tall and wraith-like, practically gliding towards the gates of the citadel. What on Middle-Earth was he doing? Oh well, the guards stationed at the door would take care of him. Legolas turned away.  
  
Just then, the hair on the back of his neck prickled. Ringing bells went on and off in his mind, and somebody told him he was missing something. 'I see you,' a voice said in his ear. It was so real and life like that Legolas immediately spun around, looking for the cold, evil voice that had hissed in his ear. 'Do not try to hide from me, Elf,' the voice spat, full of hatred and vengeance. 'I know what it is that he fears for most-I know his most treasured object...try to warn him, Elf... it will not work.' Then it was gone.  
  
Legolas stared wildly around him. Who had spoken? Who was it that had the ability to be invisible? Or..or the ability to communicate through thoughts? Only a fair few of the Eldar, such as Galadriel and Celeborn, had the ability to communicate through thoughts. Who else? And the voice...it sounded evil. Wicked. It reminded him of...the Dark Lord.  
  
'No! Sauron was destroyed! The ring was destroyed!' Legolas thought, looking towards the East...the ruins of the Mountain of Fire and the now deceased Baradur. And who was the he? What did he fear for most?  
  
Unintentionally, Legolas glanced towards the tower. A gasp of shock and fear escaped his lips as he noticed that the guards stationed at the door were slumped down on the floor. Sensing that something was amiss, Legolas sprinted towards the entrance of Minas Tirith, and getting closer, he saw that the guards had not been stabbed, beaten, or indeed maimed in anyway. They looked as one who lies in a fitful sleep of nightmares. It was the gliding figure who had done this, Legolas was sure. Nobody else had been here. The Elf loped inside the castle, looking around.  
  
What would that stranger want? An image of Aragorn strayed into his mind. No, Aragorn was at the party with Eomer and the rest. No-no, it couldn't be! Eldarion! Legolas' mind churned as he took the winding passageways to Eldarion's room. Arwen had left him there under the care of his nanny , so that he would not be disturbed by the party. Upon reaching the room, Legolas recognized signs of forced entry. The two guards at the door were also sleeping, but they bore expressions of intense fear on their features. Gulping, and dreading what he would find in the room, Legolas stepped over the guards and bit his lips to stop from crying out in despair. The nanny was lying on the floor, face frozen in fear, mouth opened in a silent scream. And in the cot...there was nothing.  
  
Eldarion was gone.


End file.
